Thread: Help understanding this function...

  1. #1
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Posts
    67

    Help understanding this function...

    Code:
    #include <stdio.h>
    #define size 3
    
        void setarr1(int b[ ]);
        void setarr2(int b);
    
        void main ( )
        {
            int a[size] = {2,7,6}; //size = 3
            int i;
    
            for(i = 0; i < size; i++) 
            {    
                if (i % 2 ) 
                    setarr2(a[i]);
                else
                    setarr1(a);
            }
    
            for (i = size - 1; i >= 0; i--)
                printf("%d\n", a[i]);
        }
    
        void setarr1(int b[ ]) 
        {    
            int i, a = size-1; 
            
            for (i = 0; i < size; i++) 
                b[i] += b[i] + a--; 
        }
    
        void setarr2 (int b)
        {
            b -= size;
    
        }
    Above is the function that I have try a long time to figure its output. I have try to trace out but I still don't know why its output will be 24, 31, 14. So, I really hope that someone help me understand this function pls ~ Very thanks you.

  2. #2
    Make Fortran great again
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Posts
    1,413
    We can't do this for you, but we can give you some hints.

    First off, look at setarr2(). The argument to this function is an int, NOT a pointer to an int. Therefore, the b -= size does nothing to the original value; it decrements the copied value. So there might as well not be a setarr2() at all.

    setarr1()'s argument is a pointer and the array 'a' is passed to it, so a will definitely be changed. Keep in mind that the 'a' in setarr1() is not the same 'a' that is passed to it. Also, remember that a-- evaluates to the original value of a, it then decrements the variable after evaluating to that original value.

    Nothing to do with the problem itself, but "void main()" isn't the preferred definition for main; use int main(void) or int main(int argc, char *argv[]).

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